southern pine beetle (NYS DEC image)
MID-HUDSON – The southern pine beetle has reached the Hudson Valley, found in traps in Bear Mountain State Park, Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Schunnemunk Mountain State Park.
The beetle is considered one of the most destructive pests in the United States. The adults bore into a pine tree and construct tunnels in the cambium just below the bark, disrupting the flow of nutrients. The tree reacts by exuding resin to push the intruders out, but is usually overwhelmed as thousands of beetles attack an individual tree. The needles turn yellowish, then coppery red, then brown, and then drop off completely as the tree dies.
The recent trapping of southern pine beetles is the work of the Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management volunteers, with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
